Shattered
by Bow-ties-and-red-fedoras
Summary: TAG 2015. A missing scene set part way through SOS part 2 about Lady Penelope's reaction to when Gordon gets injured, and what she does about it.


**Disclaimer- I don't own anything!**

Lady Penelope's hands trembled as she placed them gently on the door handle.

She held her breath, bracing herself against the polished metal, its coolness somehow comforting as she nudged open the door with a faint creak. Each step wounded her like a bullet, and the crisp, echoing click of her heels on the tiled floor was drowned out by the roar of a million ominous flashbacks racing through her mind. The crimson staining Gordon's suit, the dead weight of his unconscious body on her lap, the blinding white sheets and rush of doctors saying he might not make it; the images were still stained in her mind, his blood still tangled in her hair.

She clenched her fist tighter around her glass of water, and in a sheer outburst of anguish, hurled it wildly at the nearby wall. The glass shattered into a million pieces, and at that moment she felt as if her heart did the same. The shards ricocheted back towards her, digging into her skin, and her blood ran over Gordon's, still there on her diving suit where his head had been resting, dripping with hers onto the floor of the very room he had been sitting in mere hours earlier. She gritted her teeth and threw another glass at the wall, hot tears streaming down her face, staining her cheeks, her vision blurred, but just then she felt steady hands close tightly around her wrists. She stopped short, startled, turning to face whoever was attempting to pin her down. On seeing her, she felt the grip loosen, and took in Kayo's astonished expression as she stared back at her.

"Lady Penelope? Why- what happened? I thought you were-" she stopped when she saw the river of tears still running down her face, and the shattered glass that covered the tiles like a deadly carpet. "Oh, Penny."

She put one arm around her shoulders and guided her to the sofa, just as Alan and Scott returned and came to her side at once. The four sat in silence, Penny still crying, shaking violently as Kayo gently treated the cuts from the glass. Alan wrapped his arms around her, tears rolling down his own cheeks, followed by Scott and finally Kayo, and the pain seemed to ease a little as she let herself cry in their loving embrace, letting the rest of the world slip away into the distance for a few precious moments. She was suddenly jerked back into reality by the intruding beep of her comm, which lay abandoned on a nearby chair.

As the hologram flickered to life, she saw John staring back at her. She grimaced, suspecting the worst, holding her breath and gritting her teeth in an attempt to stop herself from crying as he began to speak.

"He's going to be just fine." Her expression softened at his reassuring words, and she laughed and cried simultaneously at his words. It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders, as if she'd been drowning and someone had pulled her from the water- no, as if Gordon had pulled her from the water. A wave of pure relief washed over her, the remnants of grief fading away into nothing, and after a few seconds of utter speechlessness, she answered, "Thank you."

After a moment, she added, "Will I be able to see him soon?" She asked anxiously, still rattled from the close call. She'd been pretty shaken, and was grateful now that Scott had invited her back to Tracy island because she hadn't been allowed to see him. He answered with a lighter tone that before, "You can right now, actually. I think Parker said he was on his way right now." He smiled half-heartedly. "They said he'll wake up soon. You saved his life, Penelope." He gave her a sincere, grateful smile of approval, and she smiled back, though a little sadly. With one last thank you and farewell, she hung up, and snapped it shut after a few seconds, with a sudden slam that shattered the solemn silence and echoed throughout the room. With one last thankful glance back at the three Tracys, who were heading out themselves to see Gordon, she got up from her seat and started towards the door. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, still a little disoriented, and headed slowly out to the waiting car, comforted with the knowledge that he'd be alright, as she slipped into the leather seat of the car.


End file.
